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"Hm. I don't want to."
So light, yet so certain.
So simple, yet so resolute.
It was just a single sentence, but under Anson's gaze, Lucas's thoughts gathered, and a resilient strength surged from deep within his soul.
Then, Anson smiled.
"So, I need your help, Luca. You owe me this."
A small tease, with a hint of playfulness.
But Lucas was reminded of a younger Anson—stubborn, unreasonable, always finding a way to break through whenever their parents refused his requests. With those big, pleading eyes, he'd stand there acting helpless until Lucas caved in.
Suddenly, Lucas felt a lump in his throat.
But this time, instead of giving in, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Alright."
Anson clenched his fist and celebrated quietly, "Oh yeah!"
A low chuckle rumbled from deep in Lucas's throat.
Anson's face turned serious. "I'm being real."
"I don't know what's going to happen next—when or how those nightmares lurking in the dark might break through. But at least I'm prepared now. I know the truth behind that secret."
"So, if I need help, I'll call for it."
"And…"
He let out a long breath.
"Luca, I think you need to talk to Mom and Dad."
Lucas looked confused and pointed to himself. "Shouldn't that be you?"
Anson shrugged slightly. "What am I supposed to say? I still don't remember anything. Should I tell them, 'Hey, I know this happened, but I don't really know the details, so don't worry'? Do you think they'd be reassured?"
There was some sense to that.
"Luca, this is a secret between the three of you, but you've never talked about it."
"I know I'm the victim, but we can't forget that the victim's family is also traumatized. You all were victims too."
"After everything happened, you never talked. That's not normal."
"From what happened at the hospital that day, just because you don't talk doesn't mean you've forgotten. Quite the opposite—those wounds are still there."
"You should tell Mom and Dad that I've been acting strange lately, that I seem to have sensed something. You should discuss a plan so that the three of you can sit down and face it head-on, instead of pretending nothing ever happened. Even if you argue, at least it means you're willing to confront the wounds."
Lucas: "… You're asking me to lie."
Anson: "Yes. Isn't that what you do every day?"
Lucas felt exasperated.
Anson laughed loudly. He could almost see the vein bulging on Lucas's forehead. Quickly backtracking, he said, "Only after you all solve the issue can you help me when it comes time to face it. Otherwise, when the problem surfaces, you'll be arguing among yourselves first."
Lucas looked at Anson with hesitation and confusion. "Why are you so comfortable calling yourself a victim and telling us how to handle things?"
Something felt off.
Anson shrugged lightly. "I told you, I don't have any memories."
Lucas studied Anson's face closely and, at last, believed him.
Finally, Lucas looked away, picked up his glass, and took a big gulp. "So, are you scared? I mean, subconsciously…"
"No." Anson shook his head. "Why should I be tied down by things that happened in the past? I'm not a victim. I mean, I was, but I don't want to stay that way."
"And besides…"
Anson hesitated briefly but eventually spoke up.
"I know you've always been there."
This was the real source of Anson's confidence.
From the initial distance and wariness he felt when he first arrived in this world, to slowly lowering his guard—along the way, many things had changed.
"And I silently pray that you always will be, unlike most parents who say, 'Hey, you're eighteen, you're twenty-one, I'm done with you. Go live your life, we need to enjoy ours.' Jesus Christ, I've been praying for that."
Clearly, this was a rant.
Lucas shot Anson a sidelong glance, "Ha. Ha."
The dry laugh, however, made Anson burst into cheerful laughter, lifting his spirits and making Lucas's heavy heart feel a bit lighter.
Tonight wasn't easy for Lucas. His back was drenched in sweat, and his muscles, tense to the extreme, were now aching. But the storm seemed to have passed, and his mind was regaining its calm.
Once, he had been terrified that those memories would resurface, that the nightmares would hurt Anson again.
But the worst hadn't happened.
Perhaps Anson was right—they needed to face the demons hidden in their memories. Otherwise, they'd never be able to truly move forward.
"Anson, what are you going to do about Sony Columbia?"
Now calm, Lucas regained his composure and subtly dropped a bomb.
To be precise, this was the real reason Lucas had come to Columbus, though he hadn't expected Anson's ambush.
Anson didn't hide his surprise. "Sony Columbia? What else can I do? Either make a killing by demanding a huge payout for 'Spider-Man 3,' or flat-out reject their offer and mess with them. What else?"
"You're not planning to take them head-on, are you? That's not like you."
Lucas: "What's my style?"
Anson: "Calm. Objective. Rational. You look at things through numbers."
Lucas: "Exactly. And that also means fairness. Whatever we've lost, we need to get back. You don't think I'd let them treat you like a toy, do you?"
This time, Anson was genuinely surprised. "Luca, that's Sony Columbia, one of the top companies in Hollywood. What are you planning to do?"
Lucas: "When you see it as a giant, you have to look up, and it's hard to find an angle. But if you see it as a structure, you realize it's just a bunch of numbers."
"If Sony Columbia stops making money, do you think the board would hesitate to sell it? If the company keeps making bad decisions, do you think the CEO will keep his job?"
"Sony Columbia may be a giant, but giants can fall too, and there's more than one way to make that happen."
These were matters Anson wasn't particularly skilled at, but he could still piece together a grand plan from Lucas's words.
Anson couldn't help but marvel, "But Luca, is it worth it?"
Lucas: "No one should ever treat you that way."
In his casual words, there was a hint of menace.
Lucas turned to Anson, "Or are you going soft? Do you think we should just let things slide?"
Anson's mouth pulled into a smirk. "I just think there's no need to take down an entire company because of one issue. But you're right. We shouldn't see the company as a whole. Once it's broken down, things will get clearer."
"So, what are you planning to do?"